New York Knicks: A closer look at Damyean Dotson’s reduced minutes

Damyean Dotson’s reduced minutes have been inexplicable this entire season which only adds on to the New York Knicks’ frustrating season.

“This ain’t it, fam!” That is what a majority of the New York Knicks fans would probably say to the Knicks brass based on the minute distribution for the young core. Besides the constant disappointment of playing time for Kevin Knox and Allonzo Trier, Damyean Dotson‘s reduced minutes have been very peculiar this season (and that is putting it mildly).

Dotson continues to be one of the few bright spots on the Knicks roster. The best way to describe Dotson is that he is a prototypical three-point shooter and perimeter defender (“3-and-D”) who has a high motor and is more than willing to play team basketball. Because of these qualities, Dotson has become so beloved by fans that when he receives a DNP-CD that Knicks Twitter bursts out into a “#FreeDot” frenzy.

However, as much as Dotson offers the desired skill set for the team and is a fan favorite, it seems that he has received the short end of the stick in the rotation this season, after making forward progress during the 2018-19 campaign.

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/1/2020.

According to the numbers, it is clear that Dotson’s minutes have dipped this season. As I mentioned in my most recent post, players need time to develop and work through their weaknesses. The problem here is that Dotson is one of the Knicks’ better shooting guards, so it is confusing that he does not get more time.

RJ Barrett has been the starting shooting guard for most of the season because of the backlog at the small forward position (where Barrett should really be playing). Because of the log jam at the small forward position, this causes Reggie Bullock, Wayne Ellington, and Dotson to come off the bench at shooting guard.

Granted, Dotson has played more games than Bullock and Ellington and has averaged more minutes than Ellington (15.1 minutes per game), there is very little reason Bullock or Ellington should be playing over Dotson. Especially when Dotson has outperformed both of them this season and could have a long career with the New York Knicks because he is 25 years old (Bullock is 28 & Ellington is 32).

Bullock:

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/1/2020.

Ellington:

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/1/2020.

It is not listed on any of the charts, but Dotson has the best player efficiency rating of the trio. His rating is 11.1, while Bullock and Ellington have ratings of 9.8 and 8.2 respectively. It is clear that Dotson is more effective than Bullock or Ellington, which makes nights like playing the Philadelphia 76ers, where the Knicks lost 115 – 106, that much more confusing when Dotson gets no minutes.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Notice that between Bullock’s and Ellington’s minutes, neither were extremely productive against the 76ers. Now I am not saying that Dotson would have led the New York Knicks to victory, but he should’ve been given a chance to perform.

Two games prior to the 76ers matchup, the Knicks played the Houston Rockets where the Knicks lost 123-112. During that game, Dotson had 9 points, shot 42.9 percent from the field (3-of-7), shot 50 percent from three-point range (3–of-6), grabbed four rebounds, and had one assist all in 18 minutes. Bullock, however, had 3 points, shot a 20 percent from the field (1-of-5), shot a 33.3 percent from 3-point range (1-of-3), grabbed one rebound, and had three assists in 22 minutes. Ellington received a DNP-CD.

Then after playing the Rockets, the Knicks went on to play the Charlotte Hornets where the Knicks lost 107-101. In that game, Bullock played and both Dotson and Ellington got a DNP-CD. Against the Hornets, Bullock played 10 minutes and laid a complete goose egg in all statistical categories. Now for Dotson to have played well against the Rockets, it didn’t make sense to bench him against either the Hornets or the 76ers.

Now after losing to the 76ers, the Knicks did defeat the Chicago Bulls 125-115,  where Ellington had a decent game of six points, shot a 40 field goal percentage which was all 3-pointers (2-of-5) and grabbed one rebound in 15 minutes. Even after the win, it still didn’t make sense for Dotson not to receive any playing time.

Just to be clear, I am not saying Dotson is perfect. He does have his fair share of defensive mishaps, but overall he has been nothing but a solid role player on this New York Knicks roster.

Some believe that Dotson’s reduction in minutes is because the Knicks want to make sure that he does not demand a high contract in the offseason. But a smart team who does their research can see how well Dotson has performed will definitely pay him because 3-and-D is a coveted commodity in the NBA.

The Knicks should #FreeDot because he is better than Bullock and Ellington. Also, the Knicks should pay him this offseason because definitely adds a skillset to the team that is currently lacking.